Review Summary: A concept album that initially plays like early Coheed and Cambria, before shedding expectations and moving into a more experimental, contemplative kind of prog.
Analog Bandits are a band from Cincinatti, Ohio that write tunes for the rock music wanderer. R&B inspired rhythms and song structures and sprawling-yet-reserved expanses of instrumentation meet a vocal centric vision that can border on atmospheric, but never loses focus.
The band manages to maintain a steady sense of identity, much of which has to do with singer Tato, whose lyrics detail scenarios with a sense of naturalism and conviction a cut above many of the genres frontmen. And while essence and consciousness are very much at the center of Invocation, listeners generally turned away by such heady content shouldn't be dissuaded. This is far from your typical prog rock or post rock meandering. There is a good amount of soul here; both in content and in musical influence, with or without the concept of the album.
The album follows a transfer of consciousness from Stendention to golem Petrus, and is divided into three sections, 'mind,' 'body,' and 'soul.'
It starts heavy handed with two of the records most straight-forward rock tracks, but as the quirky, off-center single "Luck of the Draw" begins, the records heat slowly cools down and shows it's true nature. From there on out, syncopated drum and bass, mysterious guitar tones, and almost Motown vocal deliveries take listeners down an exotic path less traveled. One filled with serenity, but not without teeth.
Single "Mnemonia" contains some of singer Tato's more impassioned moments, and dips into straight up System of a Down territory towards the end, but is another good example of the albums overall exotic direction. It would have been great to hear a little more diversity in the singing department, but it would have also possibly detracted from the nearly tropical, island-mellow quality the record has, even at it's hardest hitting moments (see: "Entropy," "Petrus.") His vocal range is a welcome break from bands that pull too many pages from the Circa Survive book, sounding a bit more like the singer of Corelia, or even Katatonia.
There is also a fair amount of Tool influence evident here in the bass and vocal delivery. Fans of Maynard and his various projects might notice a couple things, like in "The Mountain" I was reminded immediately of Justin Chancellor, the percussive bass attack crisp and audible in the mix. And Tato's delicate dissonance over grungy, classic rock inspired riffs on "The Mad Mist" drive this point home. But it's not just pure worship, and is never completely derivative. This helps set them apart from contemporary acts like Hail the Sun or Stolas, who have incredible dynamic range per song, but can also be slightly jarring and again, a little being on being the next Anthony Green.
It is, however, a double edged sword. Many moments on Invocation could have benefitted from a just a pinch more spice, mostly the guitars. The guitars here are never boring per se, always bouncing and plodding in time, but with a little melodic evolution, more inspired riffs could elevate their next album to a good one to a great one. I'm not saying they should go full on Twelve-Foot Ninja with it, I'm just saying there were some riffs I could have easily traced anywhere from Black Sabbath to Deftones.
That being said, the sound of this record, as far as mixing and mastering goes, is superb. Mixed and mastered by Jordan Haynes, this album's high frequencies sizzle perfectly against the booming bass throughout. The drums sit gracefully in the middle, allowing each musician to clearly punctuate the albums conceptual flow.
With a fresh, promising sound, Invocation sees the band on top of it's craft, conquering new territory without compromising their unique identity.
